[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 161 (Wednesday, November 13, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H7002]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE SIERRAS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McClintock) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, this summer the biggest fire in the 
history of the Sierra Nevada Mountains burned 400 square miles of 
forest land. The fire left behind an unprecedented swath of 
environmental devastation that threatens the loss of not only the 
affected forest land for generations but sets events in motion that 
could threaten the surrounding forests for many years to come.
  The fire also left behind as much as a billion board feet of dead 
timber on Federal land that could be sold to raise hundreds of millions 
of dollars, money that could then be used to replant and restore the 
devastated forests. In addition, processing that timber would help to 
revive the economy of the stricken region. But time is already running 
out. Within a year, the value of the timber rapidly declines as the 
wood is devoured by insects and rot. That's the problem: cumbersome 
environmental reviews and the litigation that inevitably follows will 
run out the clock on this valuable asset until it becomes worthless.
  Indeed, it becomes worse than worthless--it becomes hazardous. Bark 
and wood-boring beetles are already moving in to feast on the dead and 
dying timber, and a population explosion of pestilence can be expected 
if those dead trees remain. The beetles won't confine themselves to the 
fire areas, posing a mortal threat to the surrounding forests in the 
years ahead.
  By the time the normal bureaucratic reviews and lawsuits have run 
their course, what was once forest land will have already begun 
converting to brush land, and by the following year, reforestation will 
become infinitely more difficult and expensive.
  Within 2 years, several feet of brush will have built up, and the 
smaller trees will begin toppling on this tinder. It is not possible to 
build a more perfect fire stack than that. Intense, second-generation 
fires will take advantage of this fuel, sterilizing the soil, eroding 
the landscape, fouling the watersheds, and threatening the surrounding 
forest for many years to come.
  Without timely salvage and reforestation, we know the fate of the 
Sierras because we have seen the result of benign neglect after 
previous fires. The trees don't come back for many generations. 
Instead, thick brush takes over the land that was once shaded by 
towering forests. The brush quickly overwhelms any seedlings struggling 
to make a start. It replaces the diverse ecosystems supported by the 
forests with scrub brush.
  For this reason, I have introduced H.R. 3188, which waives the time-
consuming environmental review process and prevents the endless 
litigation that always follows. It authorizes Federal forest managers, 
following well-established environmental protocols for salvage, to sell 
the dead timber and to supervise its careful removal while there is 
still time.
  The hundreds of millions of dollars raised can then be directed 
toward replanting the region before layers of brush choke off any 
chance of forest regrowth for generations to come. It is modeled on 
legislation authored by Democratic Senator Tom Daschle for salvaging 
dead and dying trees in the Black Hills National Forest, a measure 
credited with speeding the preservation and recovery of that forest.
  This legislation has spawned lurid tales from the activist left of 
uncontrolled logging in the Sierras. Nothing could be further from the 
truth. This legislation vests full control of the salvage plans with 
Federal forest managers, not the logging companies. It leaves Federal 
foresters in charge of enforcing salvage plans that fully protect the 
environment.
  The left wants a policy of benign neglect: let a quarter-million 
acres of destroyed timber rot in place, surrender the ravaged land to 
beetles, and watch contentedly as the forest ecosystem is replaced by 
scrub land. Yes, without human intervention the forests will eventually 
return, but not in the lifetimes of ourselves, our children, or our 
children's children.
  If we want to stop the loss of this forest land and if we want to 
control the beetle infestation before it explodes out of control, the 
dead timber has to come out soon. If we take it out now, we can 
generate the funds necessary to suppress brush buildup, plant new 
seedlings, and restore these forests for the use and enjoyment of our 
children. If we wait for the normal bureaucratic reviews and delays, we 
will have lost these forests to the next several generations. That is a 
choice. Congress must make that choice now, or nature will make that 
choice for us.

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